frame rail kink.

[85moneypit]

Hi everyone I have a 85 mustang gt 5 speed which is all stock. I have had the car 10 years and have not done much with it until recently. I noticed while looking around under the hood that the passenger side frame rail has a bit of a kink in it a few inches in front of the strut tower. I don't have any pics to post but il try to get a few up. My question is that would the kink be something that will affect the alignment of the vehicle if I took it to get an alignment done. Obviously I will have it fixed but not til winter when it will be parked. I was also looking at the drivers side and couldn't find anything bent or anything. The frame rails are solid and towers solid too. Its a Kentucky car so its solid all the way around but seeing the kink in the rail was kinda a bummer. I was planning on starting the upgrade of the suspension and chassis and was hoping to get the car on the road soon. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[wraithracing]

Pictures will help to determine the amount of damage, but just from the description it sounds like the car has most likely taken a hit to the front end at some point. It most likely can be pulled out and straightened by a frame and body shop. It's hard to say how much the repair will cost without checking it first, but odds are that unless the damage is severe it probably a few hours on a frame machine. Since you just noticed the issue after 10 years of ownership I doubt the damage is severe. I would check with some local body shops and see what kind of estimate they give you.

In regards to the front end alignment, Yes it can affect your alignment. To what extent again depends on the damage, but I would recommend getting the frame checked and straightened before spending money on a front end alignment. No sense in putting a band aid on a broken arm if you know what I mean.

Good Luck!

Trey

[85moneypit]

Here is a couple shots of the bend and one shot of thr other side which looks to be in good shape.

[wraithracing]

From what I can see that is a minor hit at most. I would look at the area around the front headlights on the side that has the kink and look for any damage to the header panel, the radiator support, etc. If you find more damage, then I would definitely recommend at least have a shop check it on the frame machine. If you don't see any other damage or issues, then you are probably fine. You can have a buddy help and take a few measurements yourself of the engine bay and see if the numbers are off. Pick the same points on both sides and measure diagonally and see if the numbers match. If they are within a 1/16"-1/8" side to side on a couple of measurements you are fine. If they are off more than that, I would consider having it checked.

Good Luck!

Trey

[85moneypit]

Thanks alot trey, I will take some measurements this weekend and see what I come up with. Hopefully all is good but you never know. Il post the results. Thanks again.

[84GT350CONV]

Looks like you have a crack on the weld in that area. If it was me I'd take care of that also after you do any straightening.

[85moneypit]

When I tske measurements, where would be some points under the hood I would measure from?

[PIGBOY]

This is very common on cars that had very light hits. You could pull engine hit it with 5lb and throw a quick stitch and prob for get about it. Most likely if even effected an alignment would do the rest. All depends on if this car is a one of kind or just a stang banger.

[PaceFever79]

I think if it passes a 4 wheel alignment then no worries... it's just a minor bruise.

But I would get in there as best you can to dig out that rust in the seam and lather in some POR or other rust treatment product to stop that rust from spreading. That will eventually rot the lower tower and frame rail section.

[wraithracing]

When I tske measurements, where would be some points under the hood I would measure from?

You are measuring to determine if the engine bay is square, so the actual point are for reference only. Since I am just now getting back up and running with a new laptop after my old one crashed, I don't have all my documents and pictures uploaded yet. I will try and upload my engine bay chassis diagram of a Mustang later tonight to help you out. What you want to do is find matching fixed points on both sides of the car, both front and rear. You can use points such as a fender mounting bolt/hole, the hinge mounting bolts/holes, the hood bumpers, etc. Then measure diagonally between those points and see how the two numbers compare. Again if off more than a 1/4" I would recommend having the car checked just to be safe. Factory tolerances were a bit large back in the 80's compared to today, so even a 1/4" may be in tolerance, but still worth at least being safe IMHO.

As mentioned by Pigboy, if you're off on being square you may still be able to align the car properly and be fine. The biggest issue with the engine bay area not being square and correct is that it can affect the fitting of the hood, front bumper cover, fenders, etc. So unless the difference is small, I would still have it checked if possible.

Good Luck!

Trey